Culture and Privilege in Capitalist Asia - Jurusan Antropologi ...

Table 8.3 Inflow and outflow table of respondents’ most recent occupational class (column)
by family head’s occupational class (row) (%)
Note:
Outflow percentages are in parentheses.
CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY 217
occupational success of their children. In other words, the middle class of cadres
and professionals which makes up the bulk of the ‘new rich’ is distinctive not only
in terms of its income and other positional characteristics, but also in terms of the
social background of most of its members.
Turning to the ‘new rich’ themselves, it is evident that this group displays certain
dominant features but also many differences. Thus the importance of political
status varies widely between occupational classes: 71 per cent of ‘new rich’ cadres
are members of the CCP, compared to 50 per cent of professionals and 10 per
cent of all other occupational classes in this high-income bracket. Similarly, the
importance of education among the ‘new rich’ also varies considerably: 36 per cent
of cadres have university-level qualifications, compared to 73 per cent of
professionals and only 5 per cent of other occupations. In sum, the Chinese new
rich in this study are a varied group, but in general their composition reflects the
contours of power in the relatively orthodox enclave of socialism that is Beijing.